The class that I’d
like to go back to school and take is sculpture. So many times, I find myself
coveting objects that embody movement and playfulness—animated forms in waiting.
Betty Cooke’s jewelry does just that.

While visiting MICA earlier this year, I could
not help noticing the wonderfully architectural earrings and necklaces that
adorned many of my dinner companions. And it turned out the designer was right
at the end of the table. The next day, I made a pilgrimage to The Store, where
owners Betty and her husband Bill Steinmetz gave me a tour of her simple, witty
pieces. Her body of work is over 50 years strong and still going. And that’s the beauty of it; Betty’s pieces are distinctively
modernist, with the flair of eras past, but never dated. The designs push and
pull at being current and classic at the same time. Easier said than done.